Buy Alliant for faster dividend growth

Article Excerpt

These two utilities continue to phase out their coalfired power plants to comply with tougher air-pollution laws. Regulators will let them pass along some of the costs to customers in the form of higher rates. We feel Alliant is in a better position than Ameren to meet the new standards. That will give it more room to raise its dividend. AMEREN CORP. $40 (New York symbol AEE; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 242.6 million; Market cap: $9.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 4.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ameren.com) provides power and natural gas to 3.3 million clients in Illinois and Missouri. In the three months ended March 31, 2015, warmerthan- usual winter weather prompted Ameren’s customers to use less power and gas for heating. That cut its revenue by 2.4%, to $1.56 billion from $1.59 billion a year earlier. However, the company recently refinanced some debt at lower rates. That reduced its interest charges, boosting earnings by 11.3%, to…